Apparatus foe burning liquid fuel



(No Model.)

P. LANE.

APPARATUS FOR BURNING LIQUID FUEL.

Patented Dec. '29- lg. z.

fn v/enivg lve' lerwk Law/, 41 M I Illllllllllllll/ A ne ses.

N. PETEES. PhnwLilhographer, Waahinglom DC,

UNITED STATES i PATENT Frrcn.

FREDERICK LANE, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO OSCAR GASSETT, OFSAME PLACE.

APPARATUS FOR BU RNING LIQUI FUEL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 333,311, dated December29, 1885. Application filed J nne 1, 1885. Serial No. 167,209. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK LANE, residing in Boston, county ofSuffolk, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement inApparatus for Burning Liquid Fuel, of which the following description,in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, likeletters on the drawings representing like parts.

My invention relates to an apparatus for burning liquid fuel-such, forinstance, as petroleum and the various hydrocarbon derivativestherefrom, or other combustible oils or liquids-and is embodied in anapparatus of that class in which the flame is employed to generatesteam, which is delivered in a jet into the flame of the burning liquid,combining therewith and producing perfect combustion and intense heat.

The apparatus is adapted to be applied to a cooking stove or range ofordinary construction without material change in the arrangement of thestove, and the invention is applicable to any of the uses for whichfurnaces or heaters are commonly employed. In apparatus of this class asheretoforemade it is difficult to maintain the proper proportionsbetween the steam and the liquid fuel so as to afford perfectcombustion; and the present invention consists, essentially, in meansfor automatically governing the effect of the flame on thesteam-generator, and also for automatically controlling the supply ofwater to the steam-generator, so that the proper amount of steam isgenerated for the amount of oil or liquid fuel at each moment supplied.The flame and heat produced by the apparatus may consequently begoverned merely by regulating the amount of liquid fuel supplied, andthe supply of water and generation of steam will take care of itself.The flame is produced in a movable burner, in this instance shown as atube having an opening through which the flame issues to act on theboiler or steamgenerator, and means are provided for changing theposition of the said burner. in accordance with the pressure of steam inthe generator, so that the flame is thrown more or less directly againstthe steam-generator in accordance as the pressure in the latter falls orrises, thus maintaining the pressure substantially uniform, or in theproper proportion to the amount of fuel at any time being consumed.

The steam-generating apparatus comprises a tight receptacle or boiler,into which the water is fed, and a superheating-chamber, which receivesthe steam from the said boiler,

and from which it is delivered in a dry superheated condition to theburner tube, and the said boiler is itself movable, rising and fallingas the weight of its contents diminishes or increases; and the boiler isconnected with a valve controlling the flow of water from the reservoiror supply into the boiler. This valve is operated by the rise and fallof the boiler, being closed in proportion as the boiler sinks by theincreased weight of the water within it, so that the Water cannot riseabove a definite predetermined level in the boiler, and is automaticallymaintained at the proper level While the apparatus is in operation.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a stove provided with apparatus forburning liquid fuel embodying this invention; Fig. 2, a detail showingthe valve controlling the supply of water to the steam-generator and themechanism for operating the said valve; Fig. 3, an end elevation of theapparatus inside the stove, as seen looking from the left in Fig. 1;Fig. 4, a transverse vertical section thereof; Fig. 5, an end elevationof the apparatus inside the stove, as viewed from the right hand in Fig.1; Fig. 6, a plan view of a portion of the steam generating apparatus,and Fig. 7 a longitudinal section of a portion of the burner on a largerscale.

The fuel-burning apparatus may be of any suitable size and shape,according to the purpose for which it is intended, being shown in thisinstance as properly constructed to enter the fire-chamber of a stove orrange, A, of usual construction, having an elongated rectangularfire-chamber, the usual grate being removed and the fuel-burningapparatus 00- cupying the space commonly occupied by both thefire-chamber and ash-pit of the stove.

The fuel-burning apparatus is shown as supported on two uprights, a a,and comprises a burner, 7) shown in this instance as tubular in form andprovided at one end with a fuelchamber, 12, containing fragmentsoffire-brick or other refractory material in a divided state, as shownat N, Fig. 7, upon which the liquid fuel is delivered, being, as shownin this instance, discharged from a tube, 0, and falling drop at a timeor in asm all stream upon the said fragmentary material,which serves todivide it, or, in other words, operates somewhat as a lamp-wick tofacilitate the burning of the said fuel. The delivery-pipe e isconnected with a reservoir, d, (see Fig. 1,) for the liquid fuel, whichreservoir is preferably contained within a reservoir, 6, for water,which is delivered through a pipe, f, to the steam-generator 9.consisting in this instance of a tubular case or shell connected bysuitable bars, g, with the superheatingchamber h, which communicateswith the boiler or steam-gencrator g by a pipe, h, leading from theupper part of the generator so that the steam will be conveyed from thesaid generator 9 to the superheater h, in which it will be superheated,so

1 that it may be delivered from the said chamber h in a thoroughly drycondition through a suitable pipe, t, (best shown in Fig. 7,)terminating in a nozzle or jet-piece, t, directed toward the interior ofthe burner or flame tube b, which is provided with an outlet, b shown asa longitudinal slot, from which the flame is directed toward the boilerand superheating-chamber, as best seen in Fig. 4,

impinging more directly on the latter, al-

though a sufficient portion of heat isimparted to the generat org tomaintain the proper'generation of steam therein.

The parts thus far described, broadly considered, are not of myinvention, and are not herein claimed, except in connection with detailsof construction and arrangement hereinafter described.

It is necessary in order to produce steady and uniform combustion thatthe pressure in the steam generating apparatus should be maintained atthe proper point, and if the generation of steam is too rapid, so thatits pressure rises, the heat applied to the generator should be reduced,and, on the other hand, if the pressure falls, more heat should beapplied to the generator. In order to automatically regulate theapplication of heat to the generator so as to maintain thepressurealways at the proper point, the burner b is made movable, beingshown in this instance as mounted on rollers b, so that it can turneasily about its axis, in order to throw the flame issuing from theopening b more orless directly toward the generator 9, and the burner isthus turned by mechanism governed in its operation by variations inpressure in the boiler or generator 9. lhis mechanism, which regulatesthe effect of the burner on the steam-generator, comprises a pipe, is,leading from the upper part of the boiler to a chamber, 10', shown inthisinstance as of bellows-like construction, consisting of a number offlexible disks or diaphragms,which may be of thin sheet metalalternately united at their edges and at central openings, so that anincrease in pressure in the said chamber will tend to expand it or movethe extreme diaphragms or disks away from one another, and a diminutionin pressure will permit the chamber to contract under the action of asuitable force acting in opposition to the internal pressure, said forcebeing supplied in this instance by a weight, It". (See Figs. 1 and 4.)This construction of thepressure chamber is adopted, as it is capable ofresponding to extremely small variations in pressure, although it isobvious that the steam from the boiler might act on a piston or a singlediaphragm,

or any suitable or usual device that can be readily moved by thepressure of the steam exerted upon it. The lower disk of the chamber 7cis stationary, and the upper disk or top of the said chamber, which ismoved with relation to the lower disk by changes in internal pressure,as just described, is connected by a rod, k with a lever, k, pivoted atone end upon one of the frame-plates a, or a stationary projectiontherefrom, and connected at its other end by a link, with an arm, k (seeFig. 4,) projecting from one side of the burner b, so that as the upperplate of the chamber k rises and falls the burner is rolled about itsaxis, turning the opening I) farther away from or more nearly toward theboiler 9, according as the pressure rises or falls in the latter, and inactual operation the burner will find a position at which just theproper amount of heat is applied to the boiler to maintain the pressuretherein substantially constant and of proper amount to produce a jet ofsteam issuing from the nozzle 2' which willproperly combine with theliquid fuel at that time supplied to the burner. It is also necessary toregulate the supply of water to the boiler so that it will at all timesbe substantially equal to the amount drawn out in the form of steam atthe nozzle 6, since, if a smaller supply were provided, the boiler mightbecome empty or an insutiicient amount of steam be generated to maintainperfect combustion, or, if the supply were too great, the boiler mightfill, so that water would enter the superheater, and the jet deliveredat the nozzle 13 would contain particles of water or vapor, instead ofdry steam, and would thus causesputtering or imperfect combustion in theburner.

In order to regulate the supply of water and increase it when thewaterfalls in the boiler, and diminish or wholly out it ofi when itrises above the proper level in the boiler, thesaid boiler is mademovable and free to rise and fall as the weight of water within itdiminishes or increases, the frame-work g, connecting the boiler andsuperheater,being, as shown in this instance, pivoted upon theframe-plate a a, so that they just about counterbalance one another whenthe proper amount of water is in the boiler, thefsuperheater or asuitable counter-weight overbalancing and raising the boiler when itcontains a less amount of water, and

being overbalanced by it when containing a greater amount of water.

The inlet-pipe m, leading to the boiler, (see Fig. 2,) passes through aslot, m", in the end of the stove and in the frame-work a, (see Fig. 5,)which accommodates the movement of the boiler about its pivot, and isconnected by a flexible pipe, of, with the pipe f, leading from thewater-reservoir, the said pipe containing a cook or valve, f, (see Fig.2,) the handle of which is connected by a link, 0, with an arm, 0,leading from the pipe m or from some part of the movable frame-workwhich supports the boiler, in such manner that as the boiler rises itopens the said valve, admitting a larger supply of water to the boiler,and as theboiler sinks it closes the said valve or reduces the supply ofwater to the boiler, and will finally wholly cut off the said supplyincase the boiler sinks a sufficient amount, as will take place if thewater rises above the predetermined level therein.

In operation the boiler will assume a certain level at which the valvewill be opened sufficiently to supply the water just as fast as it iswithdrawn in the form of steam, which will depend upon the amount offuel at any moment being consumed. It is necessary, therefore, in orderto regulate the fire or heat produced by the apparatus, merely tocontrol the amount of liquid fuel supplied to the burner through thepipe 0, leading from the reservoir d, which pipe contains a controllingcook or valve, 0, and preferably a sight-feed tube, 0 through which thefalling drops or stream of oil or liquid fuel may be observed. Thereservoir (1 preferably contains a strainer or filter, d, to preventparticles of sedimentary matter from entering the pipe, and thusinterfering with the operation of the valve 0. If desired to increasethe fire or heat pro- 1 duced, more fuel is permitted to enter, and ifthe generation of steam then becomes too rapid the burner willautomatically turn so as to direct the flame somewhat farther away fromthe boiler, but at the same time the pressure will be somewhatincreased,and there will consequently be a larger delivery of steam fromthe nozzle 2', sufficient to combine with the increased amount of fuel,and this increased consumption of steam will draw from the boiler,lightening thesame so thatit will sink and open the valve f further, andthus afford a correspondingly-increased supply of water; and in actualpractice the appliances herein described for regulating the effect ofthe flame upon the steam generator and the supply of water thereto willoperate automatically to produce at any moment a jet of steamcorresponding in amount to the amount of fuel at that time supplied, sothat the proper combustion will be maintained without care or skill onthe part of an attendant, who merely has to supply the amount of fuel atany time needed to produce the heat required. The pipe is, leading fromthe boiler to the burnerregulating chamber may either be made flexibleor, as shown in this instance, provided with a swiveljoint, 70 (see Fig.6,) in the axis of oscillation of the boiler and connectedsuperheating-chamber, to accommodate the movement of the said boiler andchamber. The end of the burner is provided With an opening, I), (seeFigs. 5 and 7,) which admits air in proper quantity to supportcombustion, and the oil and steam pipes c and 6 preferably enter thisopening, as shown, near the central line of the burner, so that itsmovement does not materially change its position with relation to thesaid pipes.

' The movement of the superheater in connection with the boiler is notsufficient to materially change the position of the steamnozzle t" inthe burner, the said nozzle usually being near the center line of theburner; but it is obvious that,if the relation of the burner andsuperheater were such as to require it, a flexible orjointed connectionmight be made in the pipe 71, to accommodate the movement of thesuperheater without changing the position of the nozzle 2" with relationto the burner; or the superheating-chamber itself might be stationaryand the pipe connecting it with the boiler made flexible or jointed, inwhich case the boiler would be counterbalanced by a weight provided forthat purpose, instead of by the superheater.

An air-pipe,p, and forcing apparatus 10 are provided in order to directthe flame through the burner-tube and out of the opening b in startingthe apparatus until the flame thus issuing generates steam in thesteam-generator, after which the operation will be continuous andautomatic as long as fuel is supplied.

I claim- 1. An apparatus for burning liquid fuel, comprising asteam-generator and movable burner, the position of which with relationto the steam-generator is dependent on the pressure in the-saidgenerator, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with a burner for liquid fuel, of a boiler orsteamgenerator which supplies a jet of steam to-the said burner, and ismovable by the weight of the contained liquid, and a feed-pipe, the flowof fluid through which to the boiler is governed by the movement of thelatter, substantially as described.

3. The combination of a movable burner and steam generator or boilerreceiving heat therefrom with a pressure-chamber communicating with thesaid boiler, and connecting mechanism which varies the position of theburner in accordance with variations in pressure in' the said chamberand boiler, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

e'r-outlet with relation to the boiler is vaa movable burner and amovable boiler, the ried, substantially as and for the purposedeposition of the burner depending on the press scribed. ure in theboiler, and the feed or supply of In testimony whereof I have signed my15 5 water to the boiler depending on its position, name to thisspecification in the presence of 4. In an apparatus for burning liquidfuel,

substantially as described. two subscribing witnesses.

5. A burner for liquid fuel havin an outlet for flaine or heatedgasesicombified with FREDERICK LANE a steam generator or boiler heatedthereby, Witnesses: 10 and mechanism, controlled by the pressure in I Jos. P. LIVERMORE,

' H. P. BATEs.

the boiler, by which the position of the burn- I

